1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microwave brewing device for producing freshly percolated measured quantities of coffee, and more particularly, a percolating device which is adapted to percolate coffee within a microwave oven. Various kinds of appliances and coffee brewing devices which are designed to brew coffee or tea and other types of beverages under the effect of microwave energy in microwave ovens are well-known in industry. In general, such microwave brewing devices consist of microwaveable pots or cups each designed to receive a predetermined measured quantity of water, and which are provided with brewing baskets or support surfaces for the receipt of measured amounts of coffee or tea, either loosely or in flow-through packages. Usually, such devices are transparent to microwave energy in at least some regions in order to enable the water in the pot or cup to be brought to the boiling point and to facilitate the hot liquid being admixed with the coffee, or tea and the like, for purposes of brewing the latter to a certain strength in conformance with the taste of a consumer, in dependence upon the time in which the brewing device or appliance is subjected to microwave energy.
Generally, such microwave brewing devices are of a sturdy construction so as to be reusable in nature, and subsequent to the brewing operation and dispensing or consumption of the brewed beverage therefrom, can be expediently washed and dried, possibly in a dishwasher, and repeatedly reused for the brewing of coffee, tea or the like. In essence, such microwaveable coffee brewing devices or appliances are complex in construction and produced from relatively expensive material so as to necessitate their having to be reemployed a considerable number of times in order to render the manufacture and use thereof economically viable.
In order to improve upon the currently employed devices or appliances which are utilized for the brewing of coffee or similar kinds of beverages through the applications of microwave energy, and to render this an inexpensive and relative simple procedure, the present invention contemplates the provision of a device for the microwave brewing, and particularly, percolating of coffee through the intermediary of microwave energy in order to produce a freshly percolated coffee beverage, and in which at least some, if not all, of the constituents of the microwave brewing device are designed to be inexpensively constructed so as to render them expendable and thereby discardable after only a single use. This will eliminate the necessity for having to wash a multiplicity of relatively expensive components, inasmuch as most of the constituents of the device, and in certain instances, possibly the entire device itself, may be readily discarded after only a single use in a microwave oven.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Although numerous microwaveable devices are currently in existence for the brewing of coffee or tea beverages in microwave ovens, all of these devices incorporate components which, due to their complex and expensive construction, in order to be cost-effective necessitate their having to be reused subsequent to washing thereof rather than being economically discardable after only a single use.
Freedman, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,104,957 discloses a microwave coffee maker in which a container of a construction which is transparent to microwave energy is positioned in the cavity of a microwave oven, and which incorporates structure for supporting a selected measure of ground coffee beans within a filter element which is mounted over an upper container cavity. The lower portion of the pot is then filled with water to a desired level, and thereafter exposed to microwave energy within the microwave oven for a specified period of time depending upon the amount and desired strength of the coffee beverage being brewed. The structure of this brewing device is relatively complex and expensive in nature and, consequently necessitates the repeated employment of the appliance components in order to render the latter economical.
Derby U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,392 discloses a microwave simmer pot, in which the pot containing a liquid which is to be simmered is positioned in the cavity of a microwave oven, and in which various regions of the simmer pot are insulated so as to form a shield for reflecting microwave energy, whereas other portions permit the passage therethrough of the microwave energy in order to enable heating of the liquid contained in the pot. Although this provides for a simple construction of a cup-shaped pot for simmering a liquid, the construction thereof does not facilitate the percolating of coffee so as to provide a freshly percolated coffee brew of desired strength and quantity.
Welker U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,835 discloses a microwave brewing cup in which steam generated in a lower container portion by heating water through microwave energy will traverse a measure of packaged coffee in order to produce a brewed mixture. There is no disclosure of an inexpensive and disposable brewing device analogous to the present invention for the production of freshly percolated quantities of coffee, and in which at least some, if not all, of the components of the microwaveable device are economically discardable after only a single use.
Koral U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,696 discloses a microwave coffee making apparatus, in which the structure thereof is of an extremely complex nature requiring a multiplicity of components for effectuating the brewing of quantities of coffee in the apparatus. The construction of this particular microwave coffee making apparatus is quite expensive due to its complexity and does not lend itself towards the discarding thereof, or at least some of the components of the apparatus, after only a single use in a microwave oven.
Dobry U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,915 discloses a process for preparing a brewed beverage in a single-serving cup of microwave-transparent material by passing microwave energy through coffee enclosed in a flow-through filter pouch which is adapted to be at least partially immersed in liquid. The microwave energy will then heat the liquid to a point at which it causes the coffee to be brewed and dissolved in the liquid in response to generated pulsations of the pouch containing the coffee. This particular microwaveable device and method of brewing a coffee or tea beverage does not lend itself towards the production of freshly percolated quantities of coffee and is primarily directed to the brewing of soluble or so-called instant coffee.
Further appliances adaptable for microwave brewing of beverages are disclosed in Perlov U.S. Pat. No. 3,215,060; Slangan, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,325 and Serio U.S. Pat. No. 3,174,424. However, none of these appliances disclose a readily discardable coffee percolating device which is adapted to be employed in a microwave oven in a manner analogous to the inventive structure.